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1 KINGS 16
page 317
was buried in the City of David. Then his son
Asa became the next king.
Asa Rules in Judah
9 Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth
year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. 10 He reigned
in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother*
was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.
11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s
sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12 He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes
from the land and got rid of all the idols* his ancestors had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen
mother because she had made an obscene
Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole
and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although
the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s
heart remained completely faithful to the Lord
throughout his life. 15 He brought into the Temple
of the Lord the silver and gold and the various
items that he and his father had dedicated.
16 There was constant war between King Asa
of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 17 King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah
in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.
18 Asa responded by removing all the silver
and gold that was left in the treasuries of the
Temple of the Lord and the royal palace. He
sent it with some of his officials to Ben-hadad
son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, the king of
Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with
this message:
19 “Let
there be a treaty* between you and
me like the one between your father and my
father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver
and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha
of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”
20 Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request
and sent the commanders of his army to attack
the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns
of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Kinnereth, and all the land of Naphtali. 21 As soon as
Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he
abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and
withdrew to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa sent an
order throughout Judah, requiring that everyone, without exception, help to carry away the
building stones and timbers that Baasha had
been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the town of Geba in Benjamin
and the town of Mizpah.
23 The rest of the events in Asa’s reign—the
extent of his power, everything he did, and the
names of the cities he built—are recorded in
The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. In
15:10 Or The queen mother; Hebrew reads His mother (also in
15:13); compare 15:2. 15:12 The Hebrew term (literally round
things) probably alludes to dung. 15:19 As in Greek version;
Hebrew reads There is a treaty.
his old age his feet became diseased. 24 When
Asa died, he was buried with his ancestors in
the City of David.
Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the
next king.
Nadab Rules in Israel
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam began to rule over Israel in the second year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Israel two years. 26 But he did
what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed
the example of his father, continuing the sins
that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe
of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and assassinated him while he and the Israelite army were
laying siege to the Philistine town of Gibbethon.
28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King
Asa’s reign in Judah, and he became the next
king of Israel.
29 He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of
the royal family was left, just as the Lord had
promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet
Ahijah from Shiloh. 30 This was done because
Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the Lord,
the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed
and the sins he had led Israel to commit.
31 The rest of the events in Nadab’s reign and
everything he did are recorded in The Book of
the History of the Kings of Israel.
Baasha Rules in Israel
32 There was constant war between King Asa of
Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 33 Baasha son
of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the
third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha
reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. 34 But he did
what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed
the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins
that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
16
This message from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu
son of Hanani: 2 “I lifted you out of the dust to
make you ruler of my people Israel, but you
have followed the evil example of Jeroboam.
You have provoked my anger by causing my
people Israel to sin. 3 So now I will destroy you
and your family, just as I destroyed the descendants of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 The members
of Baasha’s family who die in the city will be
eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field
will be eaten by vultures.”
5 The rest of the events in Baasha’s reign and
the extent of his power are recorded in The Book
of the History of the Kings of Israel. 6 When Baasha died, he was buried in Tirzah. Then his son
Elah became the next king.
7 The message from the Lord against Baasha
and his family came through the prophet Jehu